This new Gordon Research Conference has the major goal of using the paleoreord, archaeological/historical information and modeling to inform about, understand and better manage terrestrial, lakes and fluvial ecosystems. Although long-term studies provide the natural variability needed to better assess future climate, they often lack information about contemporary processes and the human dimension perspective necessary for predicting the effect of climate change on ecosystems used for various human activities. During this conference, bridges between contemporary ecology, archaeology, historical ecology and palaeoecology should be created to lead to a more comprehensive understanding of various ecosystems. The conference will be divided into three major topics: